Oral use - kratom: Don’t drink this...

[Alfa]

Don't drink this...


when you're thirsty in M'sia


By Joycelyn Wong
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PARENTS beware.


There could be more to that innocent-looking drink your kid wants to buy from a Malaysian roadside hawker.


Kids in Malaysia are buying these drinks as easily as they buy soft drinks.


They down these beverages, bought in plastic packets or cups.


But there's a hard truth about these beverages.


They are actually drugs and can give addicts the same high as opium.


Known as air ketum (Malay for ketum drink), each packet or cup is sold for as low as RM1 (45 cents).


BITTER DRINK


The bitter drink is made by boiling the leaves of the ketum plant for about two hours in a pot.


Some sellers then immerse the pot in cold water, and the process makes the brown liquid turn cloudy to look less like tea and a lot more appealing.


The main component of ketum leaves is mitragynine, which works on brain receptors in the same way as opium, according to several websites.


It is a stimulant and can cause hallucinations. Some drug addicts also use it as a substitute for opium.





Dr Ahmad Mahmud, from Malaysia's Health Ministry, told The New Paper that students as young as 13 have been patronising the stalls, which are usually found in villages.


'From what we gather from the sellers, the students are buying them before school and during their breaks,' said Dr Ahmad, who is the deputy director of enforcement at the Pharmaceuticals Services Division.


'Some codeine addicts are also drinking it to get high.'


Ms Dawn Sim, a spokesman for the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) here, said they were aware of the ketum plant but it was not listed as a drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act.


The plant and mitragynine are also not listed in the Poisons Act, said the Health Sciences Authority in Singapore.


That means it is not illegal to consume or possess it here.


Said Ms Sim: 'CNB has not come across its use in Singapore but we will monitor the situation closely.'





Mr Azwira Hassan, 29, told Harian Metro that he has been selling the ketum drink for 10 years but it became popular only in the last two years.
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Mr Azwira, who is from Kedah, said he would boil 20kg of the leaves every day and sell 250 to 300 packs of it.


The danger is one can get addicted to it and then switch to harder drugs, said Dr Ahmad.


He added that some addicts had felt thirsty after drinking it, thus leading them to consume even more.


The ketum plant is native to Africa and Asia, including countries like Thailand and Malaysia. It can be grown anywhere and it grows easily.


It's banned in Thailand but some farmers there chew its leaves to feel energised. (See other report.)


Mitragynine was gazetted in Malaysia last year as a psychotropic drug and it is illegal to possess it.


But Dr Ahmad said the authorities are helpless to act against those taking it, as current laws do not provide for consumers to be prosecuted.


Malaysian authorities have conducted several raids in Terengganu, Pahang and Kelantan this year.


In a four-day operation last month, they seized more than 800 litres of the drink and 245kg of ketum leaves from these three states.


SYMPTOMS


Fifteen people were arrested and charged under the Poison Act for unlawful possession. They can be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed up to four years or both.


The drug can cause weight loss, insomnia and constipation. Withdrawal symptoms include joint aches, moodiness and lethargy.


A former addict from Setiu, Terengganu, told Harian Metro that he used to spend up to RM200 a month on the drink.


'I have drunk up to five glasses at one go just to relieve my desire for it,' he said.


'My mind would be energised for a few hours. Then, when I feel thirsty, I would want to drink it again.'



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Thailand's second hottest drug





THE ketum plant was banned in Thailand more than 60 years ago because of its adverse effects.


But a report by the country's Narcotics Control Board in 2001 found that it was the second most abused drug, behind marijuana.


That year, 1,270kg of ketum were seized. More than two million Thais were estimated to have taken it.


It ranked higher than heroin and synthetic drugs like Yaba and Ecstasy.


It is known as kratom or ithang in Thailand.


The report added it was mostly taken by farmers to get energy. The leaves are chewed or smoked.


Some also take it as a traditional medicine to treat diarrhoea and fever.


Traffickers can be jailed up to two years and fined up to 20,000 baht ($834). Those who consume it can be jailed up to a month or fined up to 1,000 baht.

[cyalume]

i'd ask the kid if he sold it by the case

[OneDiaDem]

LOL, sounds good to me!


Alpha is this Mitragyna speciosa (Kratom) that we have in our sources forum or some other species?</font>Edited by: OneDiaDem

[Alfa]

Yes, Kratom is mytragyna speciosa.

[HippieD9]

Originally Posted by Alfa

It is a stimulant and can cause hallucinations. Some drug addicts also use it as a substitute for opium.

Hmmmm, well which one is it? Can't be a stimulant AND a opium subs, can it? Why do these writers insist on making everything as evil sounding to "normal" people as possible?

[sands of time]

Originally Posted by HippieD9

Hmmmm, well which one is it? *Can't be a stimulant AND a opium subs, can it? Why do these writers insist on making everything as evil sounding to "normal" people as possible?

Kratom is both relaxing like opium and a stimulent. This is somewhat comparable to the stimulating effects of alcohol after a few drinks. I am interested in how these drinks can be purchased so cheap.

[Alfa]

This is because thegood Kratom available hard te get. Some has to be smuggled out of Thailand and risk means high price. In Thailand and Malaysia good Kratom is available and cheap. It grows in many places.

[sands of time]

Originally Posted by Alfa

This is because the*good Kratom available hard te get. Some has to be smuggled out of Thailand and risk means high price. In Thailand and Malaysia good Kratom is available and cheap. It grows in many places.

Well good kratom can be grown in a number of places. The key to growing good kratom is getting old, mature kratom trees. Kratom farms have also been producing alot of commercial kratom.

[Dr_H]

I have tow plants about 3 feet tall each. I have been saving the leaves as they fall but I want my plants to get larger so I am waiting. It only took about a year and a half to get 3 feet from 5" cuttings. Nice plant very semitrical with its opposite branches and leaves.


Anybody know how much would need to be smoked to get an effect?


Is there a refference somewhere about increasing potency i.e. growing methods specific fertilizers etc. Is it just an age related thing and needs to be so many years old to be effective?

[Emperiorjack]

Can one be addicted to Kratom?

[Dr_H]

One can be addicted to anything. Addiction is a chemical, physical and habitual thing. Even after two month of no ciggaretts and the chemical addiction had passed . . .I still had huge cravings in the "places" that I used to smoke. I stopped taking breaks at work because that is when I wanted one the worst, the next worse was waiting at bus stops and with my morning cup of coffee. Even though I was past the chemical addiction, all these places where I used to smoke would trigger (or restimulate) my craving.


If you use Kratom every day for a while and then don't, even if you have no chemical addiction the habit part will try to kick ya. Everything in moderation, especially moderation.

[realfolkblues]

Anybody know how much would need to be smoked to get an effect?


Is there a refference somewhere about increasing potency i.e. growing methods specific fertilizers etc. Is it just an age related thing and needs to be so many years old to be effective?[/


Vendors started the rumor that kratom leaves can be smoked. They figured that it could be easily sold as a mary jane alternative. It may be possible to smoke the free-base, but smoking the leaves gets swim no where

[TMM]

Wow. This "article" just ticks all the boxes for typical anti-drug propaganda one by one, doesn't it.